Die Hard: Year One Prequel in the Works at Fox

20th Century Fox has plans for Bruce Willis to return as John McClane in the sixth installment of the Die Hard franchise, but only to bookend an origin story set in 1979.

According to Deadline.com, producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura is currently working with ‘Live Free or Die Hard’ director Len Wiseman to develop the project.

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The 1979 storyline would be an “origin story” of sorts for McClane, delving into his time as a police officer with the NYPD. McClane’s early years were also the focus of a Boom! Studios comic book series, Die Hard: Year One. Published in 2009 and 2010, the first four-issue miniseries was written by Howard Chaykin and took place in the Big Apple during the 1976 bicentennial. Like the film series, ‘Die Hard: Year One’ had McClane facing off against violent terrorists. It was followed by another four-issue story, set during the 1977 New York blackout.

Bruce Willis is no stranger to projects that also feature younger versions of his character. In fact, Willis has headlined a trio of time travel stories (12 Monkeys, The Kid, and Looper) in which he actually plays opposite other actors in the same role.

Willis most recently reprised the McClane role for 2013’s ‘A Good Day to Die Hard’. Although it only grossed $67 million domestically, it turned out an impressive $304 million at the worldwide box office.